Acaciella angustissima

Acaciella angustissima ( white ball acacia) is a highly variable perennial shrub native to subtropical and tropical America.

Nomeclature

The name Acaciella is diminutive of the genus Acacia. 

Angustissima is the ablative feminine singular of angustissimus, which means narrowest or very narrow, depicting its narrow leaflets.

Varieties

● Acaciella angustissima var. angustissima (Mill.) Britton & Rose

● Acaciella angustissima var. chisosiana Isely

● Acaciella angustissima var. filicioides (Cav.) L. Rico

● Acaciella angustissima var. hirta (Torrey & A.Gray) Robinson

● Acaciella angustissima var. shrevei (Britton & Rose) Isely

● Acaciella angustissima var. suffrutescens (Rose) Isely

● Acaciella angustissima var. texensis (Torrey & A.Gray) Isely

Synonyms

● Acacia angulosa Bertol.

● Acacia angustissima (Mill.) Kuntze

● Acacia elegans M.Martens & Galeotti[2]

● Acacia filicina Willd.

● Acacia filicioides (Cav.) Trel.

● Acacia glabrata Schltdl.

● Acacia hirsuta Schltdl.

● Acacia insignis M. Martens & Galeotti

● Acacia pittieriana Standl.

● Acacia villosa (Sw.) Willd.

● Acaciella angulosa (Bertol.) Britton & Rose

● Acaciella costaricensis Britton & Rose

● Acaciella holtonii Britton & Killip

● Acaciella martensis Britton & Killip

● Acaciella rensonii Britton & Rose

● Acaciella santanderensis Britton & Killip

● Acaciella villosa (Sw.) Britton & Rose

● Mimosa angustissima Mill.

● Mimosa filicioides Cav.

● Mimosa ptericina Poir.

History

1768 - first described as Mimosa angustissima.

1896 - transferred to the genus Acacia by Kuntze.

1928 - Britton and Rose proposed a new genus Acaciella

2006 - Rico Arce and Bachman confirmed the genus Acaciella.  

15 species described in America.

Description

Acaciella angustissima is morphologically highly variable.

The following description is of the typical form of the species ( A. angustissima var. angustissima), which was described by  Rico Arce and Bachman in 2006 :

A thornless shrub or small tree usually growing 2–7 m tall with a single short trunk. However, it may very rarely reach up to 12 m in height.

Its younger stems are hairless or finely hairy and are usually somewhat striate

The leaves are bipinnate, 10–21 cm long, and usually have 10–17 pairs of pinnae.  They are borne on stalks 1.2–3.5 cm long that are sparsely strigulose. The pinnae are 2.5–5 cm long and each bears 20–40 pairs of leaflets. These relatively narrow leaflets are small (2.4–5 mm long and 0.5–2 mm wide) with pointed tips and entire margins.

Stipules are inconspicuous (2–2.5 mm long).

The whitish flower clusters are globular or ellipsoidal in shape (1–1.5 cm across) and are actually short head-like racemes. They are borne on short peduncles (1–1.5 cm long) and arranged in axillary fascicles, which may sometimes be arranged into larger panicle-like inflorescences.

The flat, thin-walled, papery, pods are oblong in shape (3–9 cm long and 6–15 mm wide) with straight or sinuate margins. They are initially green (Figure 5), but turn coffee-brown when ripe. These glabrous pods are acute at the base and apex, with a stipe 7–12 mm long and a beak 2–7 mm long.

Each pod contains 8–12 circular seeds 2.5–3.2 mm across. These seeds are arranged transversely in the pod and are clearly separated from each other. Seed production is prolific. Seed weight is 90 000–100 000 seeds/kg.

Sarikei : Local Produce ( Nature Products )

 

Sarikei : Local Produce ( Herbs )

 

Nutrient Mobility in Plants

18 elements have been identified as vital to plant growth. 

3 elements, carbon, hydrogen and oxygen, are non-minerals.  Carbon and oxygen enter plants through leaves as carbon dioxide. Oxygen also enters plants with hydrogen through roots as water.

14 are minerals. The 14 must be dissolved in soil water and enter the plant as roots take up water. Mineral elements can further be divided into primary or secondary macronutrients and micronutrients. 

Macronutrients are those needed in relatively large amounts while micronutrients, as their name implies, are needed in small amounts. However, a deficiency in any vital element can seriously inhibit plant development.

Once inside plants, nutrients are transported to where they are needed. Once incorporated by the plant, some elements can be immobile while others can be remobilized. 

Immobile elements essentially get locked in place. Those that can be remobilized can leave their original location and move to areas of greater demand.

Make Durian Great Again ! by Rohan Chakravarty

South Asian Cucurbitaceae @ Malaysia

With the massive influx of foreign workers from South Asia into Malaysia, it is increasingly convenience to find South Asian vegetables in locally.

First we have the Bangladeshis in plantation and construction sectors, then the Nepalis as security guards, now we even have Indian nationals

I first seen a patol and kakrol in 2013 at a pasar malam of Taman Universiti Indah.  Today sundry shops operated by Bangladeshis are everywhere.  Even the Mydin Hypermarket in Seremban2 selliing patol and kakrol.

Another security guard in Seremban2 have a vegetable garden behind the guard house where he stationed.

Momordica dioica is an common vegetable in South Asia.  The fruits are cooked with spices, or fried and sometimes eaten with meat or fish.

As diverse as the Southern Asian languages, M. dioica is known in many names.  It is called karkotaki (कर्कोटकी) or karkoti (कर्कोटी) in Sanskrit ; kakoda (ककोड़ा) in Hindi ; mezhuku-pakal ( மெழுகுபாகல் ) orpazhu-pakal ( பழுபாகல் )  in Tamil ; Kankada in Oriya ;  bhat-kerela (ভাত কেৰেলা) in Assamese ; Karot in Manipuri ;  kakrol or ghi korola in Bengali ; boda kakara in Telugu ; Kankoda in Gujarati ; Thumba or Thumba Karavila  (තුඹ කරවිල ) in Sinhalese ; Phagil/Phagala in Nepalese ;  etc.

Trichosanthes dioica is another fruit vegetable in commonly found in Southern Asia.  It is used as an ingredient for soup, stew, curry, sweet, or eaten fried and cooked with fish, roe or meat stuffing.

T. dioica too is called in different languages : parwal or parval in Nepali, Hindi, and Gujarati ; kambupudalai in Tamil ; potals in Telugu ; Kāttu Padavalam ( കാട്ടുപടവലം ) in Malayalam ; potol in Bengali and Assamese ; potala in Odia ; paror in Maithili ; parol in Magahi ; parora in Bhojpuri, Urdu, and Awadhi  Tondule ( तोंडूळे ) in Marathi ; etc.

Seremban : Terung Telunjuk

There are numerous varieties of terung.  Different varieties have different size, shape, and colour.   larger varieties weighing up to 1 kg.   Colours vary from white to yellow, green to dark purple, or with a colour gradient or strips.  Shapes come in round, oval, elongated, cylindrical etc.

Terung telunjuk, or also called terung kuning is a variety of S. melongena found in Malesia.  It is about 10cm in length, with ±3cm diameter.  Colour is light green with white stripes at bottom   when immature, turn to yellow upon ripening.   Nevertheless, the flower is brilliantly purple in colour, same as flowers of other varieties.